The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is working to provide guidelines and tools that will allow countries around the world to apply a standardized approach to improving the quality of veterinary education. The effort is largely directed toward developing countries and countries with economies that are in transition. The organization anticipates its work will help these nations improve the level of competency of their veterinarians and, thereby, the performance of their veterinary services in all areas

AVMA

Concerns about the economics of the veterinary profession are an underlying theme of the new AVMA Strategic Plan, which received approval during the June 5-7 meeting of the AVMA Executive Board. The first strategic goal in the plan is to strengthen the economics of the profession. The other goals address veterinary education, animal welfare, scientific research, and membership participation.

Issues

A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study identified a link between severe illness and co-infection with Sarcocystis neurona and Toxoplasma gondii in more than 150 marine mammals that died in the Pacific Northwest. Such widespread polyparasitism indicates pervasive contamination of waterways by zoonotic agents, researchers say, and is contributing to disease severity in marine wildlife.

Practice

A pharmaceutical company planned to halt sales of a drug used to treat a parasitic disease and increase growth in chickens after it was found that use of the drug could cause detectable concentrations of inorganic arsenic in the livers of treated birds.

Community

Dr. Douglas C. Blood wrote pivotal text, re-established veterinary school posted July 13, 2011 Sketch by Wes Walters courtesy of the National Library of Australia D r. Doug Blood's career teaching veterinary medicine spanned Australia, the United States, and Canada. While a professor in Canada, he wrote a pivotal text on livestock diseases. In Australia, he re-established the University of Melbourne's veterinary school as founding dean. Dr. Blood recently shared his life story with Drs. Tom Hart, Ivan W. Caple, and Michael A. Harrison. The following profile is condensed from their notes about that discussion with their permission. Career in academia Born in England in 1920, Douglas C. Blood immigrated to Australia with his family at the age ...